Poland's political, constitutional crisis explained: 5 events that led up to coup attempt
4. Nawrocki refuses four judges, 2026
In March 2026, parliament elected six judges to fill seats whose terms were expiring. They were Krystian Markiewicz, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, Maciej Taborowski, Magdalena Bentkowska, Marcin Dziurda and Dariusz Szostek.
The new president, Karol Nawrocki, a PiS ally who succeeded Duda, swore in Bentkowska and Szostek and refused the other four. His office pointed to concerns about deadlines and individual votes in the appointment process and said the head of state was not bound to approve every appointee. The government said the constitution gave parliament the power to elect judges, and the president had no right to stop them.
Parliament elected more judges in June and September. By fall, it had chosen eight this year for the 15-member tribunal; Nawrocki had sworn in three and refused five.
On April 9, the four were sworn in at parliament in front of a notary and forwarded the documents to Nawrocki's office. His office and Święczkowski rejected this, saying an oath counted only in front of the president.
The tribunal's May 12 ruling, numbered K 3/26, said the president could decline appointments and must attend the oath in person. The government challenged the decision, noting that some judges on the panel held disputed seats.
That month, the European Court of Human Rights told Polish authorities in an interim order not to keep the four judges from their posts.
